I am not going to preview every single Paul Skenes start for the Pirates in this space, but there’s no question that when the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner takes the mound, it draws more attention than a typical MLB game. I find his home start tonight vs. Colorado somewhat amusing, because it appears to be perhaps the starting pitching mismatch of the season to this point, as he is opposed by struggling journeyman Michael Lorenzen.

Rockies-Pirates BetRivers parlay (-112)

Skenes (5-2, 2.36 ERA, 0.71 WHIP) has had some memorable outings already in his two-plus seasons in the majors but comes off arguably his best one, eight shutout innings with only two hits allowed, seven strikeouts and no walks in a 1-0 victory at Arizona. Four strikeouts came on four-seam fastballs, two on changeups and one with his unusual splitter.

Skenes didn’t throw more than 17 pitches in an inning and three times needed nine or fewer. He was the first Pirates pitcher with eight-plus innings and two or fewer baserunners allowed since Doug Drabek in 1991.

“I don’t know what else there is to say,” Bucs manager Don Kelly said. “He was unbelievable. Getting ahead in counts, the elite stuff, being able to put guys away, low pitch count, very efficient. He was unreal.”

Fans who want to bet on MLB need to see the latest DraftKings promo code.

Skenes was never particularly close to his first no-hitter. He did retire the first 14 he faced, but Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a soft dribbler down the third-base line for an infield single and then Nolan Arenado followed with a sharp single to left. That was the final baserunner Skenes allowed.

The 23-year-old whiffed the final three batters he faced in the eighth. He clearly owns Arizona, now at 3-0 with a 0.69 ERA in four career starts against the Diamondbacks, including three straight scoreless starts. He became the first pitcher with three straight scoreless starts of six-plus innings against the Snakes.

Apparently, with him at 97 pitches, there was no real thought about letting him pitch the ninth and try for his first complete game and shutout. Skenes said he wasn’t clear on his pitch count after the eighth. Kelly said they “talked about it briefly.”

The outing was an out shy of his career longest start on July 23, 2024 vs. St. Louis, and his game score of 85.0 was the best of 2026 and second-best career after an 87.0 on July 11 in his rookie year, in which Skenes threw seven no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts and one walk in a victory.

It was the second time in the past three outings that Skenes, +200 to repeat as NL Cy Young, has been dominant. He took a perfect game into the seventh inning of a 6-0 win over the Brewers on April 24 – although he struggled in the start in between against St. Louis. Skenes has already reached half his win total from 2025 when he got almost no run support — he didn’t get his fifth win until July 21. This year, he’s getting plenty, with six starts of at least six runs of support compared to just one with 0-2, and that obviously was against Arizona.

At home this season, Skenes is 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA and .171 batting average against in four starts spanning 21.1 innings with 26 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts against Colorado. The SportsLine Projection Model projects him for 5.3 innings, 5.9 strikeouts, 4.1 hits allowed and 1.3 earned runs. Skenes is -155 to personally win at DraftKings; I personally don’t trust the Pittsburgh bullpen regarding that prop play. 

Interested in wagering on MLB? You should check out the latest BetMGM promo code for the best offer.

The Rockies are terrible, if not quite as historically bad as last season. Per usual, the pitching staff is the main culprit with a 4.84 collective ERA that is second-worst in the majors Over the weekend in Philly, the Rockies allowed 22 total runs and at least six in each game. In fact, they have allowed at least six runs in eight of their past 10.

Colorado signed Lorenzen to a one-year deal worth $8 million in the offseason and has gotten little on that return, as the righty is 2-4 with a 6.92 ERA and 1.90 WHIP. Sure, some of that is pitching at Coors Field, but in four road outings Lorenzen allowed at least four runs in two of them. 

He was shelled for seven runs on 11 hits last time out in Denver vs. the Mets. The model has him allowing 3.3 earned in 5.4 innings tonight. Lorenzen is a cool +469 to get a victory (No at -730) and +596 on a head-to-head strikeout matchup vs. Skenes (-1000). 

“Michael will be fine. He wanted to come here, to pitch here specifically. He’ll figure it out,” first-year manager Warren Schaeffer said after the Mets outing. 

Check out our bet365 promo code to see the great new offer available when you wager on MLB futures.

The model has Pittsburgh winning by 2.1 runs, and it having any team winning by that much is pretty rare. But I much prefer the possibility of a push on -1 than a loss on -1.5 no matter the price. If Skenes is as dominant as I expect, the Pirates shouldn’t hammer Lorenzen THAT bad to worry about the alt total. Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter. 

The Minnesota Vikings were only sparingly represented on the All-Pro teams following the disappointing 9-8 campaign, which was virtually over by Thanksgiving. Long snapper Andrew DePaola landed another second-team honor, while kicker Will Reichard was recognized as the league’s premier kicker.

Accordingly, he’ll be in line for a massive payday once his rookie contract is set to expire. In fact, though he’s signed for two more seasons, he’ll be eligible for a contract extension next offseason.

In the past, kickers were afterthoughts on the payroll, but they make some serious cash nowadays. The Steelers and the Cowboys recently rewarded two of the NFL’s best with lucrative extensions.

Brandon Aubrey, who has been a real asset for the Cowboys in recent years, reset the kicker market last month, signing a four-year, $28 million contract. He snatched the NFC Pro Bowl honors from Reichard.

This week, Chris Boswell of the Pittsburgh Steelers matched Aubrey’s salary. He’s one of the very best in his own right.

ESPN wrote about the veteran, “In 2024, he was selected as first-team All-Pro after leading the NFL with 41 made field goals. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl for the second time with the Steelers, whom he has been kicking for since 2015. He has had at least a 90% success rate on field goals in seven of his 11 seasons in Pittsburgh. He also has never missed a postseason field goal attempt, going 19-for-19.”

As one of the most consistent kickers in the game, he should be at or near the top of the salary hierarchy. He is, however, 35 years old and it remains to be seen how much longer he can keep that pace. Aubrey just turned 31. That brings us to Reichard, who has that major advantage over both of those guys, as he turned 25 in January.

After years of subpar kicking performances in the Twin Cities, Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spent a sixth-round pick in 2024 to acquire Alabama’s Reichard, the NCAA all-time leader in points, which was likely his best move.

He quickly established himself as a sure option to end drives, but an injury forced him out for four games in his rookie season. Unfortunately, his momentum disappeared for the remainder of the year. Reichard bounced back in 2025 and was arguably the best Viking throughout the season.

The sophomore drilled 33 of 35 field goal attempts, as well as all 31 extra points. His misses sparked controversy over whether he might have hit the wires or not. Only Eddy Pineiro and Nick Folk finished the season with a higher field-goal percentage (both 96.6%; 28/29). Pineiro missed four extra points, while Folk was perfect from that range, but only attempted 22 such kicks.

Early in the 2025 campaign, head coach Kevin O’Connell said about his elite kicker, “I mean, you guys saw it, to hit it [from] 62 [yards], darn near halfway up the net is something else. And I got so much confidence in Will [Reichard], it’s almost dangerous.”

In 2025, Reichard set the franchise-best 11 field goals made from over 50 yards. That mark was tied for the best in the league. He also scored the longest field goal in franchise history from 61 and he has made six of the seven longest. He’s been a true game-changer for the Vikings.

If Reichard can once again place himself as one of the league’s top placekickers in the upcoming season, he’ll make a lot of money next year. In a prime position to reset the market, the Vikings should budget for his extension in the neighborhood of $8 million per season.

His incoming raise is a good problem to have.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.

Janik Eckardt is a German sports nerd, who likes numbers and stats. He chose the Vikings to be his … More about Janik Eckardt

Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone during a tune-up game against Macau Black Bears. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Anticipating eligibility requirements, Gilas Pilipinas has prepared a “long list” of players being considered for the men’s basketball campaign in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan this September.

Part of that pool includes Justin Arana and Mike Phillips, national team coach Tim Cone revealed on Sunday.

“Justin’s [Arana] is on it. Mike Phillips is on it. There are all these kinds of players. We picked about 30 players,” he said after Barangay Ginebra’s win over TNT in the PBA. “There’s like 30 players on the list. So we had to make a long list because we don’t know the rules.”

Phillips has previously suited up for Gilas during the 2023 Southeast Asian Games, where the Philippines captured the gold medal.

Cone clarified, however, that inclusion in the Asian Games pool does not necessarily mean inclusion in the roster for the ongoing Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

“It’s not in terms of the Fiba window. It’s all about the Asian Games and the eligibility list,” he said. “That will have nothing to do with the Fiba window,” he added.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has dealt with eligibility issues in previous tournaments, with requirements often depending on the rules set by organizers for events such as the Asian Games and SEA Games.

Last December, Gilas Pilipinas’ SEA Games roster underwent several revisions before receiving clearance.

In Aichi-Nagoya, The Philippines is looking to defend the Asian Games gold medal it won in the 2022 edition in Hangzhou.

The details surrounding the world title fight between Lewis Crocker and Liam Paro have now been confirmed.

Crocker won the vacant IBF welterweight title back in September when he dropped Paddy Donovan twice in on his way to a split decision victory in their rematch at Windsor Park in Belfast.

It was a far cry from the performance that ‘The Croc’ had put in six months prior, where Donovan had dominated the majority of the action before being controversially disqualified in the eighth round, but in the second meeting Crocker proved his quality to triumph.

A mandatory defence against Paro was then ordered, with the Australian’s promoters No Limit Boxing winning the purse bid back in February, and initially announcing that they planned for the fight to take place in April.

A hand injury to Crocker meant that couldn’t happen, and now that he appears to have recovered from that injury, the new date and location for the bout has been revealed, with the pair set to collide at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Australia on June 24.

Crocker vs Paro 🔒 A huge world title fight is officially set for Brisbane!

🔗 Tickets on sale Tuesday 19 May.

Sign up to get first access to pre-sale tickets 🎟️ via https://t.co/wDsr6eGwoM#NoLimitBoxing#NoLimitPPVpic.twitter.com/UMnrsyotUm

Advertisement

— No Limit Boxing (@NoLimit_Boxing) May 12, 2026

Paro will serve a tough test for Crocker, with the Australian previously holding the IBF super-lightweight title, defeating Subriel Matias to become champion back in June 2024 before losing the belt to Richardson Hitchins six months later.

He now attempts to become a two-weight world champion when he faces Crocker, but the Belfast man will be keen to make his first defence and then look towards potential unification clashes in the 147lb division.

Farever is a game that has a surprising amount of complexity, despite being a very simple, casual MMO. There’s plenty to see and do, from optional boss fights, secret treasure chests, jumping/racing puzzles, and of course, excellent combat. As a new player, there’s so much to know that frankly, the game doesn’t really go out of its way to explain. That might change later, but right now, much of the game is cryptic.

As an example, if you press the Block Button at the right time, you’ll execute a Perfect Block and take significantly less damage. Going out of your way to learn enemy attack timings, whether in melee or ranged, is going to be to your benefit in Farever. It won’t save you from AOE damage, but it’s worth knowing about.

5 tips for beginning Farever players

1) Get your mount for free immediately, instead of spending Gold

You can pick up a Mount in Farever, as soon as you log into the game, if you know what to do. While this might stop being free after Early Access, for the time being, you can unlock a free Mount by simply going to the shop. It’s not the only way you can get a mount, but it is the cheapest and easiest way.

Then just go to your Collection and equip it! Now you have a mount you can ride around on at high speeds, making exploration so much easier. There’s a quest that you can complete by doing this early on, as well. Otherwise, you’ll have to spend a minimum of 500 Gold, or farm certain enemies until they drop rare mounts.

2) Don’t forget about the useful Arsenal system

Another feature that isn’t exactly explained in Farever is the Arsenal system. You’ll see an Arsenal section of your character sheet, but what it does isn’t clear unless you click on it. Doing so will pull up all the weapons in your inventory that you can actively wield, but aren’t currently wielding.

The point of this is to get access to extra skills that you might want, but perhaps that weapon isn’t strong enough to wield. Maybe you found a weapon that has an awesome buff or AOE attack, but you don’t want to use it as your main weapon. Slot it into your Arsenal, and you can use the ability it has without worries!

3) If you aren’t playing a Priest, consider starting with Alchemy profession

One of the great things about playing a Priest in Farever is that you have easy access to healing spells, but what if you want to play a Rogue, Mage, or Warrior? It’s likely you’ll have way less access to healing abilities, so what can you do in the early game, instead? As soon as you reach the first main town, you can speak to the crafting NPC (Job Welldone), and unlock the Alchemy profession.

This will give you easy access to Healing Potions and other flasks that will help keep you alive in a pinch. You can also keep food on hand as a backup, but having access to healing potions will be a serious boon when soloing content out in the world.

4) When in dungeons, make 100% sure to kill all enemies before the final boss

When clearing dungeons in Farever, perhaps the most important thing you can do is make certain you defeat every single enemy. They aren’t hidden or out of the way or anything, but if you don’t defeat all the enemies before beating the final boss, you can’t open the chest at the end!

That’s the whole point of clearing dungeons: trying to get more powerful weapons and armor! It’s a weird design choice, though it does prevent people from just skipping all the enemy packs and running to the end. Perhaps this might change later in the game’s development cycle, but for now, take the time to defeat everything along the path.

5) Do not trash/drop unused/unwanted gear. Use the Spark Recycler instead

While selling gear might be a decent way to get Gold in Farever, instead, consider using the Spark Recycler instead. The Spark Recycler is a useful machine in most towns, that lets you break down weapons and armor you find out in the world, and convert them into Sparks and other useful crafting reagents.

You then use this at the Weapon Upgrade machine in town, to increase the stats of your weapons. This can also give your weapons useful passive abilities, on top of that. It doesn’t increase their raw DPS, but it is worth doing in the late game. I’d avoid doing it early on, unless you have huge piles of resources, but don’t just drop/throw away unwanted gear. Recycle it instead!

Check out our other Farever guides and features